Skip to content

Instagram giveaway ideas for skincare brands

Skincare fans who research every ingredient and want proof before they switch from their current routine. Here's how skincare brands can win them over on Instagram, then pick a winner everyone can check.

Pick your Instagram winner

Your comments

0 comments
Copy your Instagram comments in three steps
  1. On desktop, open your Instagram post and expand the comments and replies you want to include.
  2. Select and copy the visible authors and comments. Load more comments first; a copied selection can't include hidden ones.
  3. Paste below, or upload an author/comment CSV. On mobile, use your browser's desktop site if copying is available, or transfer an export to this page.

0 comments → 0 eligible entries. 0 didn't tag 0 friends; 0 duplicates; 0 excluded; 0 missing the word; 0 removed.

Paste comments to see who's in.

Check this list before continuing. You can edit names on the next step. Parsing stays in your browser; eligible names are sent to Perkadoo when you draw and appear on the public results page.

5 ideas that fit Instagram

  1. Shelfie swap

    Ask followers to describe their current routine in the comments and tag a skincare-obsessed friend. One winner swaps their whole shelf for yours. Routine comments tell you exactly who your competitors are.

  2. Texture Reel

    Close-up slow motion of your serum dropping, cream swirling and gel bouncing. Texture videos get replayed, which boosts reach. Caption: comment the texture you love most to enter for the routine.

  3. Ingredient carousel quiz

    Slide one asks which ingredient does what. The next slides reveal answers for niacinamide, ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Comments with a guess are entries. It teaches and qualifies buyers at once.

  4. Founder's bathroom shelf

    Post a candid photo of your founder's real shelf, including other brands. Ask followers to comment the one product they'd never give up. Honesty earns trust in a category full of hype.

  5. Unreleased product name poll

    Use a Stories poll for the top two names for an upcoming product, then run the feed giveaway: comment your vote and tag a friend to win early access. Voters become your launch-day buyers.

A caption you can post today

Swap in your own name, prize and end time. Entry is simple: like the post, follow your account and tag a friend in the comments.

Instagram caption
🧴 SHELFIE SWAP 🧴
Tell us your current routine in the comments and tag your skincare-obsessed friend. One winner swaps their whole shelf for a full Dewdrop Skin routine, cleanser to SPF.

Follow @dewdropskin. Ends Monday 10pm ET. US 18+. Random winner. Instagram does not sponsor, endorse or administer this. Rules in bio.

Prizes skincare brands can afford to give

Pick something that brings the winner back through your door, not just a gift card.

  • Your full routine, cleanser to SPF, in full sizes (about $120 retail, roughly $30 at cost)
  • A travel-size discovery set of your bestsellers (about $35)
  • Six months of the winner's favorite product on auto-ship
  • A video consultation with your formulator or esthetician
  • Early access to an unreleased product, plus a say in its name
  • A branded makeup bag, headband and gua sha stone (about $40)

Run it on Instagram

  1. Post a carousel, not a single photo

    Prize first, then a slide with the entry steps and end date. Skipped carousels get a second chance in the feed, often with the next slide showing.

  2. Keep entry to one comment

    Every extra hoop costs entries. Only add rules you will actually check, because an unchecked rule is just a hurdle.

  3. Pin the rules comment

    End time, who can enter, rules link in bio. It answers the same three questions before they get asked.

  4. Draw from the comments

    Paste them into the Instagram comment picker, check your tag rule, draw and share the results link in Stories.

Watch-outs for skincare brands

  • No drug claims like cures acne.
  • Tell winners to patch test first.
  • Creators you send product to must disclose it.
  • Check carrier rules before shipping aerosols.

Instagram's promotion rules

  • Include a release saying Instagram doesn't sponsor, endorse or run the promotion.
  • Don't ask people to tag themselves in photos they're not in.
  • Official rules and eligibility are on you, not Instagram.

Team up for a bigger reach

A collab doubles the audience for the same prize budget. For skincare brands, good partners are a local esthetician or facialist, a clean makeup brand, a wellness or yoga studio. Each of you posts, and entries from both posts go into one draw.

Questions people ask

What's a good skincare giveaway prize?

A full routine, not one product. A routine shows results, and results bring a reorder.

Do I need to disclose gifted giveaway posts?

Yes. FTC guidance says creators disclose free product or pay, even for a giveaway.

Is it allowed to ask people to tag friends on Instagram?

Yes. What Instagram forbids is inaccurate tagging, like asking people to tag themselves in a photo they're not in.

Can I run the same giveaway on a Reel and a feed post?

Yes. Paste both comment lists into one, drop anyone who entered twice, then draw.

Keep going